The present invention relates to an electronic equipment or apparatus, in which a semiconductor element is cooled through a liquid circulating therein.
Conventional electronic equipment or apparatus, including a water-cooling device therein and also being portable, is already known, for example, in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. Hei 7-142886 (1995), and Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2001-24372 (2001).
Also, an electronic apparatus is already known, relating to the conventional art, in which a tank is disposed within a piping system of a water-cooling module for cooling a heat-generating part thereof, for example, in Japanese Patent Laying-open No. Hei 6-125199 (1994), and Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. Hei 9-268386 (1997).
In addition thereto, the conventional structure is also already known, in which a pump will not suck the air into, in spite of fluctuation of the water surface within a tank, for example, in Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. Hei 2-209685 (1990), and Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. Hei 5-312143 (1993).
In particular, as is shown in the Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. Hei 5-312143 (1993) mentioned above, in a fuel tank for use in an automobile, etc., for the purpose of prohibiting mixing of the air therein, a discharge port of a submerged pump, to which is attached a float, and a filter are connected within the liquid receiver tank, thereby being movable vertically following the liquid surface within the tank.
However, none of those conventional arts takes into the consideration, of mixing of the air when the tank is moved (i.e., being turned upside down).
Namely, with the conventional arts mentioned above, there may be a fear that the pump may suck a gas, such as the air, when operating. In this instance, in particular, in a case where it is applied into a water-cooling system for the electronic apparatus relating to the present invention, there may occur a problem that performance comes down remarkably, in cooling, therefore the cooling cannot be achieved fully for the heat-generating element.
An object is, therefore, according to the present invention, by taking such the drawbacks of the above-mentioned conventional arts into the consideration, to provide an electronic equipment or apparatus, in particular, a portable (movable) and small-sized electronic equipment or apparatus, being able to deal with an increase of heat-generation from the heat-generating element accompanying with an improvement in processing performance thereof in recent years, wherein a stable cooling can be obtained by circulating and/or supplying a liquid coolant with stability therein.
The object mentioned above can be achieved by, according to the present invention, first of all, an electronic apparatus, comprising: a case mounting a semiconductor element within an inside thereof; a heat-receiving member being thermally connected with said semiconductor element; a heat-radiation member disposed on an inner side surface of said casing; a liquid driving means for driving a liquid coolant between said heat-radiation member and said heat-receiving member; and a tank accumulating said liquid coolant therein, wherein said tank, said heat-radiation member and said heat-receiving member are connected with tubes, and a suction end portion of a suction pipe connected into said tank is located at such positioned, that it will not exposed from a water surface irrespective of change on the water surface within said tank.
Also, the object mentioned above can be achieved, according to the present invention, by an electronic apparatus, comprising: a first case mounting a semiconductor element within an inside thereof; a second case receiving a display device in an inside thereof and being rotatably supported with said first case; a heat-receiving member being thermally connected with said semiconductor element; a heat-radiation member disposed on an inner side surface of said second casing; a liquid driving means for driving a liquid coolant between said heat-radiation member and said heat-receiving member; and a tank accumulating said liquid coolant therein, wherein said tank, said heat-radiation member and said heat-receiving member are connected with tubes, and a suction end portion of a suction pipe connected to said tank is located at around a central portion of said tank.
Further, the object mentioned above can be achieved, according to the present invention, by the electronic apparatus, as described in the above, wherein an inside of said tank is divided into three chambers by means of two (2) pieces of partition plates, and said suction end portion of said suction pipe is located within the chamber middle in said three (3) chambers.
Further, the object mentioned above can be achieved, according to the present invention, by the electronic apparatus, as described in the above, wherein a gap is provided between an inner surface of said tank and each of said partition plates, whereby bringing said three (3) chambers to be communicated with one another.
And, also the object mentioned above can be achieved, according to the present invention, by the electronic apparatus, as described in the above, wherein said tube connecting into said tank has a flow inlet and a flow outlet, and a nozzle for injecting said liquid coolant through pushing out air within said tube is able to connect to said flow inlet and said flow outlet.